In Cuba, the Teachers Are Leaving

In Cuba, the Teachers Are Leaving
October 25, 2012
Fernando Ravsberg*

HAVANA TIMES — Admittedly, it takes skill to write a 1,400-word article
about the shortage of teachers and the lack of young people pursuing
teaching careers without even once mentioning the low incomes those
instructors receive.

Last year, 14,000 teachers left the classroom with medical leave
certificates or requesting self-employment licenses, while this summer
another 4,000 gave up teaching without excuses. Meanwhile, 80 percent of
the slots to study teaching careers are vacant.

In the face of such a situation, not even the best juggler could explain
the problem while failing to mention the low wages, the tremendous
responsibility that teachers shoulder and the great amount of work they
have (since each teacher was required to teach two subjects).

Cuba's official Juventud Rebelde newspaper gave only a percentage, but
the fact is that teachers are missing in nearly 13,000 classrooms, whose
seats are being filled with untrained teaching staff – ones being
referred to in the street as "instant teachers."

Readers will note that the newspaper only reflected the opinion of the
Deputy Minister of Education, while not a single time did it reflect the
opinion of an active teacher or someone who has asked to resign or one
of the many students who have turned their backs on teaching careers.

It couldn't just be professional error. The main responsibility for such
omissions perhaps doesn't lie with the journalists but is the logical
result of a structural relationship between the Communist Party and the
press whereby self-criticism is not tolerated.

Such omissions prevent an understanding of the causes of the problems or
the delineation of responsibilities, turning journalism into the
exercise of sterile propaganda that's incapable of assisting in the
transformations being experienced in Cuban society today.

In any case, a newspaper that considers itself the voice of young
communists should apply greater rigor in addressing a topic linked to
one of the most important banners of the revolution, the nerve center of
society and an area that is fundamental to youth.

As the saying goes, "No one will find the tree by climbing around in the
branches"; it's necessary to get to the root if you want to find
solutions, and for that we need to turn back to the days when teaching
stopped being a profession that was desired by college-age youth.

We need to find out why thousands of teachers are leaving schools every
year since the economic crisis of the 1990s, as well as how this affects
efforts to reduce the number of pupils per class or the incorporation of
audiovisual equipment, which the teachers themselves have to guard by
carrying out night shift duty.

We have to remember that teaching is almost the only industry without a
source of income other than one's salary, meaning that teachers receive
no "gifts" or trips like physicians do, nor can they "resolver" ("take
care of their problems") through on-the-job theft like most other
workers; they can't even give private lessons while they're active.

They receive a monthly salary of no more than $25, which has to go for a
whole month of food as well as for buying clothes and grooming products
that allow them to come to school with a good appearance. However, a
pair of even poor quality shoes will cost them half of what they earn.

I really don't think that such a poorly paying profession will become
the dream of young Cubans, no matter how much this is instilled in them.
Teachers must live with dignity, and the most direct means of achieving
this is by paying them better wages.

The money spent on education is an investment in Cuba that can be
verified daily. In fact, the national economy is supported by the sale
of professional services abroad. Nothing produces more wealth than the
knowledge of Cuba's citizens.

This year there is a deficit of 13,000 teachers that will be replaced by
non-qualified personnel. Photo: Raquel Perez

The country couldn't survive today if it hadn't invested in a massive
literacy campaign, the training of tens of thousands of doctors, or in
over a million other professionals and dozens of university research
centers employing modern technology.

When I first came to Cuba I was impressed by the development of
education, its broad scope and particularly how it was the right for
everyone, anyone, regardless of their socioeconomic background, to
become a college graduate.

The result is that this is the economic base of the nation's support
today. If there are problems in education right now, in the long run
these will affect the entire economy. After 20 years of crisis in the
sector, to keep repeating the same empty and superficial slogans is
nothing more than irresponsible.
—–
(*) An authorized HT translation of the original published by BBC Mundo.

http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=80900